MONDAY, JUNE 4, 2012
MORNING SESSION
1. CALL TO ORDER OF THE REGULAR MEETING
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 hours. President Bob Campbell was in the Chair. In attendance: Pamela Abbott, Greg Krokosh, Gary Esslinger, Adam Jackson, Jamie vanSydenborgh, Doug Gaetz, Robin Johnson, Bill Blair, Sabri Khayat, Jean-Pierre Fraser, Annette Melanson and Pierrette Labrie.
Brothers Lalancette and Roslinski were absent with permission.
2. HOURS OF SESSION OF THE REGULAR MEETING
m/s Gary Esslinger/Jamie vanSydenborgh
That the hours of session be as follows:
Monday: 9:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.; 1:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Open Discussion
Tuesday: 9:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.; 1:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 9:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.; 1:15 p.m. - 5:00
Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.; 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 NUMC
- MOTION CARRIED.
3. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
m/s Robin Johnson/Adam Jackson
That the agenda be adopted as printed with the following additions.
22. Donation - Flood in Thunder Bay (A. Jackson)
23. Air Carrier (Jamie vanSydenborgh)
24. Donation – Conexis Girls Saskatoon Ball Team (G. Krokosh)Open discussion
6. Code of Conduct re. Treasury Board Policy (G. Esslinger)
7. Internal Affairs and Fraud Prevention Division (R. Johnson)
8. Pension Buy Back (J.P. Fraser)
9. WFA Committee (B. Blair)
10. Alternate RVPs (G. Esslinger)
11. Management Conflict Resolution Facilitator (B. Blair)
12. Workplace Accommodation Coaches (B. Blair)
13. Upcoming Cuts (B. Campbell)
- Recorded Vote #1. MOTION CARRIED.
4. ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
m/s Gary Esslinger/Sabri Khayat
That the minutes of the Executive Council Meeting of March 2012 be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #2. MOTION CARRIED.
Brother Khayat assumed the Chair.
5. PRESIDENT’S FOLLOW UP ITEMS
m/s Bob Campbell/Gary Esslinger
That the follow up items of the President be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #3. MOTION CARRIED.
6. REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
m/s Bob Campbell/Jean-Pierre Fraser
That the report of the President be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #4. MOTION CARRIED.
President Campbell resumed the Chair.
7. REPORT OF THE 1st VICE-PRESIDENT
No report was submitted for that period.
8. REPORT OF THE 2nd VICE-PRESIDENT
m/s Pamela Abbott/Adam Jackson
That the report of the 2nd Vice-President be postponed.
- MOTION CARRIED.
9. REPORT OF THE REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENTS / ALTERNATES
m/s Doug Gaetz/Bill Blair
That the activity reports of the RVPs and ARVPs be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #5. MOTION CARRIED.
Recess for lunch
AFTERNOON SESSION
The meeting was called back to order at 1:15 with President Campbell in the chair.
Sister Abbott assumed the Chair in the absence of Brother Khayat.
President Campbell presented the next report.
10. REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
m/s Bob Campbell/Doug Gaetz
That the report of the Executive Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #5. MOTION CARRIED.
President Campbell resumed the Chair.
11 a) REPORT OF THE STAFFING COMMITTEE
m/s Sabri Khayat/Adam Jackson
That the report of the Staffing Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #6. MOTION CARRIED.
11 b) REPORT OF THE BY-LAWS COMMITTEE
m/s Gary Esslinger/Sabri Khayat
That the report of the By-Laws Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #7. MOTION CARRIED.
11 c) REPORT OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE COMMITTEE
m/s Doug Gaetz/Gary Esslinger
That the report of the Technological Change Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #8. MOTION CARRIED.
11 d)REPORT OF THE EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM COMMITTEE
m/s Bill Blair/Robin Johnson
That the report of the Employee Assistance Program Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #9. MOTION CARRIED.
11 e) REPORT OF THE HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEE
m/s Doug Gaetz/Gary Esslinger
That the report of the Health & Safety Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #10. MOTION CARRIED.
11 f) REPORT OF THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMITTEE
m/s Robin Johnson/Jean-Pierre Fraser
That the report of the EO Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #11. MOTION CARRIED.
11 g) REPORT OF THE HONOURS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE
m/s Jean-Pierre Fraser/Robin Johnson
That the report of the Honours and Awards Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #12. MOTION CARRIED.
11 h) REPORT OF THE WORKFORCE ADJUSTMENT COMMITTEE
m/s Pamela Abbott/Bill Blair
That the report of the Workforce Adjustment Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #13. MOTION CARRIED.
11 i) REPORT OF THE HARASSMENT COMMITTEE
m/s Jamie vanSydenborgh/Pamela Abbott
That the report of the Harassment Committee be postponed.
- MOTION CARRIED.
11 j) REPORT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE
m/s Doug Gaetz/Bill Blair
That the verbal report of the Finance Committee be adopted.
The committee presented the referred recommendation #2 from the March 2012 Finance Committee Report.
m/s Doug Gaetz/Bill Blair
Recommendation #2
Be It resolved that the UTE Regulations be amended to add Regulation 30 Membership Appreciation Fund.
2. Local Annual General Membership meetings, Local General Membership meetings,
event where members of PIPSC or unrepresented members are participating,and any PSAC event will not be subsidized from this fund.
- Recorded Vote #14. MOTION CARRIED.
That the report of the Finance Committee be adopted as a whole.
- Recorded Vote #15. MOTION CARRIED.
11 k) REPORT OF THE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
m/s Greg Krokosh/Pamela Abbott
That the report of the Communications Committee be postponed until the next day.
- MOTION CARRIED.
11 l) REPORT OF THE BARGAINING COMMITTEE
m/s Jean-Pierre Fraser/Doug Gaetz
That the verbal report of the Bargaining Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #16. MOTION CARRIED.
11 m) REPORT OF THE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PAC)
m/s Adam Jackson/Jamie vanSydenborgh
That the report of the Political Action Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #17. MOTION CARRIED.
11 n) REPORT OF THE AD-HOC CALL CENTRE COMMITTEE
m/s Pamela Abbott/Jamie vanSydenborgh
That the report of the Ad-Hoc Call Centre Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #18. MOTION CARRIED.
11 o) REPORT OF THE JOINT MEETING PAC / COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE
m/s Adam Jackson/Sabri Khayat
That the report of the Joint Meeting PAC / Communication Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #19. MOTION CARRIED.
11 p) REPORT OF THE AD HOC UNION MANAGEMENT APPROACH (UMA) AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION COMMITTEE
m/s Sabri Khayat/Doug Gaetz
That the verbal report of the Ad-Hoc UMA and Conflict Resolution Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #20. MOTION CARRIED.
11 q) REPORT OF THE AD HOC MENTAL HEALTH CONFERENCES COMMITTEE
m/s Doug Gaetz/Bill Blair
That the report of the Ad-Hoc Mental Health Conferences Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #21. MOTION CARRIED.
OPEN DISCUSSION
The Council members discussed the items under this section.
The meeting recessed at 5:00 p.m.
TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 2012
MORNING SESSION
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. with President Campbell in the Chair.
12. ADOPTION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
m/s Doug Gaetz/Gary Esslinger
That the financial statements of March 31st, 2012 be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #22. MOTION CARRIED.
13. EXPENSE CLAIMS OVER 90 DAYS
No claims were pending.
14. COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
A short discussion took place.
15. WALK TO END WOMEN’S CANCERS
m/s Sabri Khayat/Doug Gaetz
Whereas according to the Cancer Institute of Canada, nearly 20,500 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and roughly 5,400 will die from it; and
Whereas over 8,000 Canadian women will be diagnosed with either ovarian, cervical or uterine cancer and over 3,000 will die from it; and
Whereas Suzanne Gingras will take part in the Pharmaprix weekend to end women’s cancers on August 25 and 26, 2012 on behalf of the Segal Cancer Centre of the Jewish General Hospital; and
Whereas Suzanne Gingras will walk 60 kilometers in two days with members of the BMO Pink Ladies team and thousands of other walkers; and
Whereas Suzanne Gingras is currently working hard to gather donations for reaching her personal goal of $2,000 for taking part in the walk; and
Whereas Suzanne Gingras is taking part in this walk for the 3rd year in a row and she wants to advance research, and it is by getting involved with all the others that she will be able to end these terrible diseases; and
Whereas by putting in a request for sponsorship, Suzanne Gingras hopes that the UTE will become part of her circle of hope and be at her side during this unique adventure that is dear to her; and
Whereas the profits from this event will be used to fund research on breast cancer and gynaecological cancers, education and patient services; and
Be it resolved that the Union of Taxation Employees devote $500 to a sponsorship for Suzanne Gingras for the Weekend to End Women’s Cancers.
- Recorded Vote #23. MOTION CARRIED.
16. OTTAWA TECHNOLOGY CENTRE LOCAL
m/s Bill Blair/Doug Gaetz
Whereas The Ottawa Taxation Centre has been renamed the Ottawa Technology Centre, and has been referred to that for a number of years.
Be it resolved that the Ottawa Taxation Centre local be renamed within the Regulations of the UTE in all applicable areas to reflect the change to the Ottawa Technology Centre.
- Recorded Vote #24. MOTION CARRIED.
17. POLICY AND PLANNING LOCAL
m/s Bill Blair/Doug Gaetz
Whereas, the members of the Policy and Planning Local voted to change the name of their local at their recent AGM to reflect a better representation of their actual composition.
Be it resolved that the Policy and Planning Local be renamed within the Regulations of the UTE in all applicable areas to reflect the change to Ottawa Centre.
- Recorded Vote #25. MOTION CARRIED.
18. REGULATION 13.5.1
m/s Doug Gaetz/Bill Blair
Whereas there is no flexibility to change the airfare, other than tango plus or latitude 1.5 times; and
Whereas Conference organizers may not need to go as low as tango plus; and
Whereas Conference Organizers still would like to have as many observers as possible attending conferences,
- Be it resolved that Regulation 13.5.1 (3) be changed to read, At the request of the Conference organizers, Council may approve travel grants for Locals to be the cost of up to two times Tango Plus airfare (as of the date of the advances) without receipt. Any airfare other than as described herein shall have prior approval of the President or in their absence the 1st Vice-President.
- Old wording: At the request of the Conference organizers, Council may approve travel grants for Locals to be the cost of a Tango Plus airfare (as of the date of the advances) without receipt. Any airfare other than as described herein shall have prior approval of the President or in their absence the 1st Vice-President.
- Recorded Vote #26. MOTION CARRIED.
19. 2013 MENTAL HEALTH REGIONAL CONFERENCES – MONTRÉAL, TORONTO AND CALGARY
m/s Doug Gaetz/Bill Blair
Whereas the UTE’s ad hoc regional mental health conferences committee is mandated to organize and execute three (3) two and one half (2.5) day conference(s) at Montreal, Toronto and Calgary during the year 2013 and;
Whereas resolution 329 provides funding for two (2) delegates per local and;
Whereas the current costing allocated to said committee for guest speakers and facilitators is one thousand five hundred dollars (1,500.00 cad) for three (3) conferences and;
Whereas said current costing for guest speakers and facilitators must be increased to approximately fifteen thousand dollars (15,000.00 cad) per conference (based on the national EAP conference) and;
Whereas the UTE’s regulation 13 outlines that the travel grant for locals will be one and one half (1.5) times the cost of an air Canada latitude airfare.
Be it resolved that executive council restrict said travel grant for said conferencesto two (2) times the cost of an air Canada tango plusairfare (return) per delegate.
- Recorded Vote #27. MOTION CARRIED.
20. VOTING PROCEDURE
m/s Doug Gaetz/Bill Blair
Whereas the voting procedures dictates the candidate with the least amount of votes drop off the ballot; and
Whereas this process can extend the period to an unreasonable delay in appointing successful candidate.
Be it resolved that UTE implements a rule that a candidate must achieve a ten (10) percent minimum of the total of all votes cast to remain on the ballot.
m/s Greg Krokosh/Jamie vanSydenborgh
That the resolution be tabled.
- MOTION TO TABLE DEFEATED.
- Recorded Vote #28. MOTION DEFEATED.
Cont’d 11 i) REPORT OF THE HARASSMENT COMMITTEE
m/s Jamie vanSydenborgh/Pamela Abbott
That the report of the Harassment Committee be adopted.
m/s Jamie vanSydenborgh/Pamela Abbott
Recommendation 1
Whereas the resolution of harassment should be prompt; and
Whereas the UTE Policy is silent on this.
Be it resolved to add the following sentence in the section “Policy Objective”:
“To promote the prevention of harassment and focus on its resolution.” (See attached)
- Recorded Vote #29. MOTION CARRIED.
Recommendation 2
Whereas the definition of harassment in the Union of Taxation Employee’s Anti-Harassment Policy is obsolete.
Be it resolved that the present definition be replaced by the definition found in PSAC Policy 23B – Anti-Harassment Policy – Union). (See attached)
Be it further resolved to change the definition in the “Annex A” of the policy. (See attached).
- Recorded Vote #30. MOTION DEFEATED.
Recommendation 3
Whereas the “Appendix B” of the UTE Anti-Harassment Policy was renumbered;
Be it resolved that the “Appendix B” UTE Regulation 22 - Discipline Procedures be replaced by the most recent UTE Regulation 26 - Discipline Procedures.
- Recorded Vote #31. MOTION CARRIED.
Guidelines on Union Intervention in Harassment Cases – Member against Member in the Workplace
Recommendation 4
Whereas the guidelines have not been reviewed since implementation; and
Whereas the guidelines need to be re-written to make it simpler.
Be it resolved that the Executive Council mandate the committee to review the guidelines on union intervention in harassment cases member against member in the workplace; and
Be it further resolved that the revised guidelines be presented to the Executive Council before the end of the year 2012.
Note that a Memorandum was sent to all Locals on April 12, 2012, requesting input. As of Friday, May 18, 2012, we have received 25 replies.
- Recorded Vote #32. MOTION CARRIED.
That the report of the Harassment Committee be adopted as a whole.
- Recorded Vote #33. MOTION CARRIED.
Recess for lunch
AFTERNOON SESSION
The meeting was called back to order at 1:15 with Brother Khayat in the chair. President Campbell was absent to attend a meeting.
The Council members received training on the use of their IPad.
President Campbell resumed the Chair.
Brother Khayat was absent with permission.
Cont’d Item 8. REPORT OF THE 2nd VICE-PRESIDENT
m/s Jean-Pierre Fraser/Doug Gaetz
That the report of the 2nd Vice-President be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #34. MOTION CARRIED.
21. HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP IN THE MEMORY OF MATHIEU LECLAIR
m/s Doug Gaetz/Bill Blair
Whereas Mireille Basque is a UTE member here at the call centre. Her son, Mathieu passed away this past February. You may have read of his passing when his body was found in the waters of Lake Ontario. He was attending the Royal Military College in Kingston at the time of his death. Mireille’s sister and Mathieu’s aunt, Colette Doucet, is also a UTE member here at the call centre.
Mathieu was an exceptional young man who graduated from Simonds High School in 2009. The Steel Workers’ Union (Mathieu’s father is a member) have made arrangements with the family to set up a scholarship in Mathieu’s name. They have made a contribution of $500.00. The scholarship will be awarded during the June 24th graduation ceremonies to a student who is a good athlete, involved with the school, well liked and an overall well-rounded student, like Mathieu was. The qualifications were determined by the family and the selection will be done by the committee at the school. The Steel Workers’ Union have requested Mathieu’s brother Marc, to make the presentation and the union will be acknowledged during the presentation.
Mireille approached me wondering if our union did anything similar and if so, she advised UTE’s contribution would be treated with the same approach as the Steel Workers’ contribution. Any amount would be welcomed. The family will also be contributing to the scholarship. Depending upon the amounts received, there may be more than one scholarship distributed to graduates.
Be it resolved that UTE donate the amount of $500.00 to the Mathieu LeClair Scholarship.
- Recorded Vote #35. MOTION CARRIED.
22. DONATION – FLOOD IN THUNDER BAY
m/s Adam Jackson/Sabri Khayat
Whereas many homes in Thunder Bay have been flooded with no only water but with raw sewage; and
Whereas Thunder Bay was under a declared State of Emergency during the flooding; and
Whereas the damage is estimated in the 10’s of millions of dollars; and
Whereas many residents will not be covered by insurance for this damage; and
Whereas many of our members live in this area.
Be it resolved that UTE donate $2,000 to this cause through the Red Cross for supplies to aid in the clean up as the Red Cross sees fit.
- Recorded Vote #36. MOTION CARRIED UNANISMOULY.
23. AIR CARRIER
m/s Jamie vanSydenborgh/Robin Johnson
Whereas the airports in our communities employee good unionized jobs; and
Whereas our Union has been promoting spending our own money in our local communities.
Be it resolved that the current UTE policy on flying unionized air carriers be amended to include where a community is not serviced by a unionized air carrier that members flying on union business be allowed to request that the non-unionized carrier be used.
The determination to allow will rest with the National President.
- Recorded Vote #37. MOTION CARRIED.
24. DONATION – SASKATOON BALL TEAM
m/s Greg Krokosh/Doug Gaetz
Be it resolved that UTE donate $500 to the Conexis Girls ball team in Saskatoon.
- Recorded Vote #38. MOTION CARRIED.
(cont’d Item 11 k) REPORT OF THE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
m/s Sabri Khayat/Greg Krokosh
That the verbal report of the Communications Committee be adopted.
- Recorded Vote #39. MOTION CARRIED.
OPEN DISCUSSION
The Council members discussed the items under this section.
The meeting recessed at 5:00 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
MORNING SESSION
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. with National President Campbell in the Chair.
OPEN DISCUSSION
The Council members discussed the remaining items under this section.
The Executive Council meeting adjourned at 11h45.
THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012
MORNING SESSION
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. with President Campbell in the Chair to discuss the items for the afternoon meeting of the National Union Management Consultation.
Bob Campbell
National President